Stonehenge & Salisbury
Alex and I were talking last week about how we can't believe we have already been in London for a MONTH!! We decided since we only have a few weeks left we should think about any other day trips we want to take while here. We are going to Eastern Europe next week for 9 days, so when we get back, we'll only have two weeks left in London before heading to Portugal.
Alex brought up Stonehenge which initially was not on my list as a top choice to visit. As my mom pointed out, I'd already seen Carhenge near the Sandhills in Nebraska! Ha!! Alex was convinced this was a place we should see, so I gave in and we rented a car and drove there this past Tuesday.
I have to say, Alex was right and I'm so glad we decided to visit. It was pretty darn amazing and crazy to think it was built some 5,000 years ago without modern tools and equipment. We got there right when it opened and there were only a handful of people. We ended up purchasing an audio guide (although we later found out we could have downloaded an app and listened to it for free!) which was helpful to learn more about its history.
After leaving Stonehenge, we drove to Old Sarum, the site of the earliest settlement in Salisbury. We were able to walk around the original cathedral's stone and enjoy the countryside from the grass-covered hill.
We ate lunch in Salisbury at the Old Ale & Coffee House, a really cute pub in the center of the city.
After lunch, we went to see the Salisbury Cathedral. The 13th-century cathedral was amazing and HUGE! It is home to the world's oldest working mechanical clock and one of the original 1215 Magna Cartas.
The oldest working mechanical clock (In use since 1386!!)
Before heading to our hotel, we made two additional stops. First was in Rollestone to see St. Andrews Church, a tiny 13th-century church overlooking the River Till. It is no longer in use and was a bit difficult find, but very pretty and quaint.
Lastly, we drove to Castle Combe and walked around the sweet little town and saw the church there, also named St. Andrews Church. Castle Combe lies in a valley at the southern part of the Cotswolds (we didn't drive this far south when we went a month ago).
We ended our first day outside of Castle Combe at an adorable inn, The Old House at Home. We ate dinner at the pub attached to the inn. As it was a weekday, it was pretty quiet at dinner which made the setting even more cozy!
